Kentucky Derby 2021-profiler:Odds, tilmeldinger og statistisk analyse

Her er de opdaterede profiler for de 20 heste, der deltog i lørdagens $3 millioner Kentucky Derby (G1) i Churchill Downs. Profilerne er tidligere blevet offentliggjort i løbet af de sidste 10 dage af usracing.com og inkluderer nu postposition og odds efter tirsdagens lodtrækning. Profilerne er skrevet af usracing.com bidragydere Ed McNamara, Margaret Ransom og Lynne Snierson. Opført i post-position rækkefølge.

Kentucky Derby 2021 Profiler:Odds, Entries og Statistical Analysis

1 Kentucky Derby 2021-indlæg:KENDT AGENDA

Kendt dagsorden , den førende point-tjener ud af de fire fra Hall of Fame-inddraget Todd Pletchers stærke arsenal, træder ind i Run for the Roses efter en 2¾-længde boltring i Florida Derby i Gulfstream Park sidst ude den 27. marts i det, der var hans første stakes sejr.

St. Elias Stable (Vincent Viola) hjemmeavlet havde trænet på sin vinterbase i Palm Beach Downs, men blev sendt til Churchill Downs med sine Derby-bundne staldkammerater til sine sidste forberedelser 20. dage før hovedbegivenheden.

Efter en kedelig femteplads i Sam F. Davis ved Tampa Bay Downs i begyndelsen af ​​februar, satte Pletcher blinkene på Known Agenda, og han reagerede med fokus og vandt en Gulfstream Parkgodtgørelsesløb den 26. februar med 11 udvidelseslængder.

"Jeg tror, ​​han er en hest, der er i bedring, og blinkene har holdt ham lidt mere fokuseret og lidt mere engageret i løbet," sagde Pletcher til Daily Racing Form. "Jeg tror, ​​at uden blinkene i Florida Derbyet, kunne han have været en smule skræmt over den position, han var i, og han havde måske ikke gjort de fremskridt, han gjorde fra fem-ottendedels-polen til halv-mile-polen uden dem. Men erfaringen har også hjulpet ham. Tiden har hjulpet ham. Milen og en ottendedel generer ham bestemt ikke. Og jeg tror på, at den ekstra distance i Derbyet er noget, vi har det godt med for alle vores heste.”

For nylig har den mest produktive Derby-forberedelse været Florida Derby, som kunne give Known Agenda en fordel. Siden Barbaro i 2006 har Big Brown (2008), Orb (2013), Nyquist (2016) og Always Dreaming (2017) taget det succesfulde spring fra vindercirklen i Florida Derby til vindercirklen i Kentucky Derby. Maksimal sikkerhed ville have været en anden, hvis han ikke var blevet diskvalificeret fra sejren i Louisville for to år siden. Samlet set har 24 Florida Derby-vindere vundet Kentucky Derby.

Kendt Agenda kan også have en lille fordel ved, at hans far, Curlin, var en klasse 1 vinder på den klassiske distance (2007 BC Classic) og også vandt 1 3/ 16-mile Preakness. Elleve af de sidste 12 Kentucky Derby-vindere blev efterkommer af en klasse 1-vinder omkring to omgange, undtagen Orb i 2013 (Malibu Moon) og California Chrome i 2014 (Lucky Pulpit).

Han har også en taktisk foddrejning, som kan være praktisk i betragtning af, at han kan bruges til enten at sidde tæt foran eller godt ud af det afhængigt af tempoet. Typisk kommer Derbyvindere fra en håndfuld længder af føringen gennem den første halve mil.

Indlægsposition: 1

Ods: 6-1

Træner: Todd Pletcher

Jockey: Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Ejer :St. Elias Stald (Vincent Viola)

Karriererekord: 6-3-1-1

Karriereindtjening: 541.700 $

Derbykvalifikationspoint: 102 (5.)

Top Equibase-hastighedstal :112

Stamtavle: Curlin-Byrama, af Byron

Farve:Kastanje

Løbestil :Mellempakning

Bemærkninger: Den kendte Agendas moder Byrama vandt G1 Vanity Stakes i Hollywood Park i 2013 over det syntetiske og blev efterfølgende solgt til St. Elias Stable for 725.000 $ den november i Keeneland, men vandt aldrig et andet løb, selvom hun fik yderligere tre graderede indsatsplaceringer … St. Elias forsøgte at sælge Known Agenda som åring, men holdt ham til at være medlem af deres væddeløbsprogram, efter at han ikke nåede sin reserve, da budgivningen stoppede ved $135.000 på Keeneland i september 2019 … St. Elias var partner i Florida 2017 Derby/Kentucky Derby-vinder Always Dreaming … Pletcher har to Derbys indtil videre, Super Saver i 2010 og Always Dreaming i 2017 … Eclipse Award-vindende jockey Ortiz leder efter sin første Derby-sejr.

2 Kentucky Derby 2021-bidrag: LIKE KONGEN

Hvis Kentucky Derby blev kørt med 5 1/2 furlongs på græs i stedet for 1 1/4 miles på jord, ville dette ikke være Wesley Wards første starter i America's Race.

Wards spil sætter gang i unge sprintere, og ingen spiller det bedre. Han har været banebrydende i England, hvor han har udmærket sig med 2-årige ved verdens mest prestigefyldte møde, Royal Ascot.

I 2009 blev han den første amerikansk-baserede træner til at vinde der, hans første af 11 sejre. For to år siden vandt han en indsats og blev indkaldt til dronning Elizabeths suite for at tale racing.

Som kongen , en søn af 2013 Belmont Stakes-helten Palace Malice, kvalificerede sig til Derbyet med en sejr i 1 1/8-mile Jeff Ruby Steaks (ikke Stakes) på Tapeta-overfladen ved Turfway Park. (Den eneste hest, der ramte Turfway-Derby-dobbelten, er Animal Kingdom i 2011.)

Ligesom kongen, der var på eller tæt på tempoet i sine første fem løb, viste en ny dimension i Jeff Ruby. Han samledes fra syvende tidligt og overvandt problemer på det fjerneste sving for at slå andre Derby-indgang Sainthood med en længde.

"Han er et stort, rank hingsteføl," sagde Ward, som den 17. april fik Derby-rytteren Drayden Van Dyke til at vinde sig 6 furlongs på 1:12,80 med den fremragende canadiske sprinter Arties Princess kl. Keeneland. "Det var et godt arbejde, og hoppeføllet, han arbejdede med, er en mester."

Større bekymring:Ligesom kongen var anden og tredje, slog i alt 19 3/4 længder i sine to starter på jord. Forvent ikke dramatisk forbedring i forhold til det klart bedste felt, han nogensinde har mødt.

Indlægsposition: 2

Odds :50-1

Træner: Wesley Ward

Jockey: Drayden Van Dyke

Ejer: M Racing Group

Karriererekord: 6-3-2-1

Karriereindtjening: 200.680 $

Derbykvalifikationspoint: 104 (4.)

Bedste Equibase-hastighedstal: 95

Stamtavle: Palace Malice-Like a Queen, af Corinthian

Farve: Kastanje

Løbestil: Frontløber/stalker

Bemærkninger: Ward, 53, vandt Eclipse Award som fremragende lærling i 1984. I 1991, to år efter at have afsluttet en succesfuld ridekarriere, tog han sit trænerlicens. Han har fire Breeders' Cup-sejre, alle på græs … Hall of Fame-jockeyen Gary Stevens, en tredobbelt Derby-vinder, er agent for Van Dyke, en indfødt Louisville, som hovedsageligt har redet i det sydlige Californien. Han sluttede på fjerdepladsen i 2018 Derby på Instilled Regard og 19. i 2019 på Grey Magician.

3 Kentucky Derby 2021-bidrag:BROOKLYN STRONG

Han vandt to New York-opdrættede indsatser, før han trak en oprørt 5. december på en sjusket bane i Aqueducts 1 1/8-mile Remsen Stakes. Som nummer tre, ni længder efter, var kendt dagsorden. De er gået modsatte veje siden da. Kendt Agenda vandt Florida Derby og betragtes som en seriøs Derby-udfordrer. Brooklyn Strong har løbet én gang og ikke vist noget, og nåede en femteplads i et langsomt Wood Memorial.

Alligevel besluttede ejer Mark Schwartz og træner Danny Velazquez at tage et skud, da afhopperne åbnede en plads i Derby-feltet. Hvorfor ikke? Tal om at spille med huspenge. Schwartz, en pensioneret forsikringschef, købte den New York-opdrættede vallak for $5.000, $220.000 mindre, end han har tjent.

Det bliver det første Derby for Schwartz og Velazquez, som ingen af ​​dem havde vundet en grad af indsats før Remsen. Bare det at være der vil være en spænding, selvom Brooklyn Strong realistisk set ikke har nogen chance for at komme efter et dårligt løb i sin eneste start i år.

Indlægsposition: 3

Odds: 50-1

Træner: Danny Velazquez

Jockey: Umberto Rispoli

Ejer: Mark Schwartz

Karriererekord: 5-3-0-1

Karriereindtjening: 225.000 $

Derby-kvalifikationspoint: 10 (20.)

Bedste Equibase-hastighedstal: 99

Stamtavle: Wicked Strong-Riviera Chic, af Medaglia d'Oro

Farve: Bugt

Løbestil: Tættere

Bemærkninger: Schwartz' sønner, Jonathan og Bryan, ønskede at opkalde vallaken efter New York Rangers' Artemi Panarin, hvis kaldenavn er "Breadman". Men Breadman blev taget, så Mark Schwartz, født og opvokset i Brooklyn, valgte Brooklyn Strong ... "Det første spor, jeg nogensinde gik til, var Aqueduct," sagde han. "Jeg gik med min far, da jeg var syv år gammel, og jeg elskede det bare. Tres år senere, og her er vi." … Umberto Rispoli, der tabte bjerget på højt anset Rock Your World til Joel Rosario, vil ride Brooklyn Strong. Rispoli, der er hjemmehørende i Italien, har aldrig været i Derbyet … Han er 14-til-50 i år, en fremragende sejrsrate på 28 %. Han har base i Parx uden for Philadelphia.

4 bidrag til Kentucky Derby 2021:KEEPMEINMIND

Dette hingsteføl har ikke nærmet sig sin stærke form som 2-årig, da han vandt Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes på Churchill Downs i sin sæsonfinale. Keepmeinmind var også konkurrencedygtig med divisionsmesteren Essential Quality i Breeders' Futurity (anden) og Breeders' Cup Juvenile (tredje), og tabte med en kombineret 5 1/4 længde.

Han har ikke været nogen steder i sine to starter i år, hvor han sluttede på sjettepladsen i Rebel og femte i Blue Grass og slog i alt 24 længder. Han kom ind i Derbyet takket være et væld af nylige afhopper (Caddo River, Dream Shake, Get Her Number, Hozier, Rombauer, Concert Tour). I det lange løb ville Keepmeinmind sandsynligvis have været bedre stillet ved ikke at kvalificere sig, fordi hans seneste præstationer indikerer, at han ikke har nogen chance.

Indlægsposition: 4

Odds: 50-1

Træner: Robertino Diodoro

Jockey: David Cohen

Ejere: Cyprus Creek Equine, Arnold Bennewith, Spendthrift Farm

Karriererekord: 6-1-2-1

Karriereindtjening: $424.987

Derby-kvalifikationspoint: 18 (19.)

Bedste Equibase-hastighedstal: 98

Stamtavle: Laoban-Inclination, ved Victory Galop

Farve: Bugt

Løbestil: Tættere

Bemærkninger: Diodoro, en 46-årig indfødt Canada, har 2.660 sejre, inklusive ni i graderede indsatser, siden han tog sin trænerlicens i 1995. Han udmærker sig ved at gøre krav på heste og væddeløb hovedsageligt i Midtvesten med strenge i Oaklawn Park og Churchill . Han sadlede 258 vindere i 2019 og 243 sidste år … Han er kommet langt fra, hvor han startede, på en lille bane i Alberta, Canada, kaldet Trout Springs. Han var 19, og i slutningen af ​​sommeren måtte han låne penge af sin mor for at betale smeden ... David Cohen, 36, blev introduceret til væddeløb af sin far, Morry Cohen, en californisk ejer, træner og opdrætter. David har mere end 1.550 sejre, inklusive et dødt løb i Grade 1 Travers (2012), siden han startede sin karriere i 2004. Han har kørt Keepmeinmind i fem af sine seks starter. Efter at have været ude af spillet i tre år på grund af en alvorlig benskade i 2014 og hans fars og søsters død genoplivede Cohen sin karriere ... Dette vil være det første Derby for ham og Diodoro.

5 Kentucky Derby 2021-bidrag:SAINTHOOD

Den mindst erfarne hest i Derby 147 har så meget at overvinde. Det bliver kun hans fjerde start, hans farttal holder ikke mål, og hans eneste sejr var med en næse. På plussiden har han aldrig kørt et dårligt løb, hvor han er blevet nummer to med et hoved og en længde i sine andre starter. Han former sig som en hest med potentiale, der ville være bedre stillet til at finde et meget nemmere sted.

Sainthood kvalificeret ved at tjene 40 point i 1 1/8-mile, Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks over den syntetiske overflade i minor-league Turfway Park. Med lidt held ville 10-1-skuddet have vundet. Ifølge Equibase-diagrammets fodnoter havde han en "problematisk tur" til strækningen, før han "samlede sig for alvor til pladsen i en galant indsats." Så han har bestemt stivhed og talent, men derbyet ser ud til at være alt for stort et spørgsmål.

"Han er nok den mindst erfarne af vores gruppe (af fire). Han tog til det syntetiske, men han var lidt uheldig på Turfway,” sagde træner Todd Pletcher, en dobbelt Derby-vinder. "Han fik en lille smule trafik, og han kom bedst af det hele til sidst, kunne bare ikke helt nå frem i tide."

Kan han kæmpe på 1 1/4 miles på trods af kvantespringet i klassen og manglen på erfaring? Mærkelige ting sker i Derbyet, men jeg kan ikke se, at Sainthood er i blandingen ved afslutningen. Hvis du insisterer på at satse ham, så kræve mindst 30-1 odds, og det kan være et underliggende.

Indlægsposition: 5

Odds: 50-1

Træner: Todd Pletcher

Jockey :Corey Lanerie

Ejer :WinStar Farm, CHC Inc.

Karriererekord: 3-1-2-0

Karriereindtjening: $91.900

Derby-kvalifikationspoint: 40 (17. ^. )

Bedste Equibase-hastighedstal: 93

Stamtavle: Mshawish-Lemon Hero, af Lemon Drop Kid

Farve: Mørk bugt

Løbestil: Frontløber/stalker

Bemærkninger: Pletcher, 53, vandt Derbyet med Super Saver (2010) og Always Dreaming (2017), begge gange på våde baner … Hans mentorer var hans far, J.J. Pletcher og den helt store D. Wayne Lukas, der kalder Todd for "min adopterede søn". Todd begyndte sin racerbanekarriere i en alder af 7 som hotwalker for sin far, som trænede i Midtvesten og sydvesten. J.J. og Lukas har været venner siden 1960'erne … J.J. Pletcher driver Payton Training Center i Ocala, Florida, hvor han bryder mange af de heste, Todd træner. Den er opkaldt efter Payton Pletcher, den ældste af Todds tre børn … Blandt de heste, hvis karriere begyndte, var Eclipse champions Left Bank, Wait a While og English Channel.

6 Kentucky Derby 2021 bidrag:O BESOS

Denne talentfulde søn af 2013 Kentucky Derby vinder Orb fik sin plads i Kentucky Derby i kraft af sin tredje bag Hot Rod Charlie og Midnight Bourbon i Louisiana Derby.

Torsdag den 23. april O Besos havde sit sidste præ-derby arbejde, hvor han gik en halv mil på 48.00 for træner Greg Foley over hovedbanen ved Churchill Downs. Med den almindelige jockey Marcelino Pedroza Jr. oppe, loggede Orb-føllet splits på :12 for den første ottendedel og :36,20 for 3 furlongs, inden han galopperede 5 furlongs på 1:00 og seks på 1:12,60.

"Han bliver ved med at forbedre sig, hver gang jeg arbejder med ham, og galop ud var endnu bedre i dag," sagde Pedroza. »Jeg er spændt på den første lørdag i maj. Lad os se, hvad der sker.''

Foley håber på et højt tempo i Derbyet, som ville give hans føl en kampchance.

"Jeg elsker denne hest, jeg tror, ​​han er en meget levende hest," sagde Foley. "Vi vil have et godt, ærligt tempo, og det burde det være. Du ved, heste derinde – det ser ud til, at der er to eller tre heste, der kan lide at være oppe omkring forenden, du ved, et godt, ærligt tempo (og) forhåbentlig er det ret hurtigt og sat op for vores hest (hvem vil) kommer fra tempoet, så det bliver helt sikkert vores spilleplan.''

Indlægsposition: 6

Odds: 20-1

Træner: Greg Foley

Jockey :Marcellino Pedroza

Ejere :Bernard Racing, Tagg Team Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds

Karriererekord: 5-2-0-1

Karriereindtjening: 172.624 $

Kvalifikationspoint for derby :25 (18.)

Top Equibase-hastighedstal: 96

Stamtavle: Orb-Snuggs and Kisses, af Soto

Farve :Kastanje

Løbestil: Tættere

Bemærkninger: Opdrættet i Kentucky af medejer L. Barrett Bernard, som vil have sin første Derby-starter, ligesom Tagg Team Racing. Medejer West Point Thoroughbreds har haft fem tidligere startere og vandt i 2017 med Always Dreaming … Marcellino Pedroza er klar til sit første Derby … Greg Foleys enlige Derby-starter var Major Fed, som sluttede 10. sidste år … Hesten er passende navngivet, O for hans far, Orb, og Besos, der kommer fra det spanske ord for Kisses, fra hans mor Snuggs and Kisses.

7 Kentucky Derby 2021 bidrag:MANDALOUN

Mandaloun tjente hovedparten af ​​sine 52 veje til Kentucky Derby-point med sin score i Risen Star i februar, og skulle han vinde den første etape af Triple Crown ville blive den første Risen Star-vinder, der også vandt Derbyet.

Men 2002 Derby-vinderen War Emblem og 2019 winner-by-DQ Country House løb begge i Risen Star, hvor de blev henholdsvis sjette og anden. Risen Star selv sluttede på tredjepladsen i 1988 Derby og vandt Preakness og Belmont Stakes.

Mandaloun har været favorit for hver af sine fem karrierestarter og sluttede først af på brættet på sin sidste, en sjetteplads efter Hot Rod Charlie i Louisiana Derby.

"Han har den fysiske sammensætning af en hest på kilometer og en kvart, så vi er optimistiske, at han vil blive bedre med mere jord," sagde træner Brad Cox .

I sin næstsidste træning før Derby i Churchill Downs den 17. april i selskab med staldkammeraten og jomfruvinderen oberst Bowman, arbejdede søn af Into Mischief 6 furlongs i 1:11.40. Ved at bryde af på fem-ottendedels stang, loggede duoen delinger på :12.40, :24.20, :35.60 og :58.80 med Mandaloun, der galopperede ud syv furlongs på 1:25.20 og milen på 1:41.60. Oberst Bowmans sidste seks-furlange tid var 1:11,80.

"(Mandaloun) fungerede godt," sagde Cox. "Vi var alle forundrede efter Louisiana Derby, men han har gjort det fantastisk siden det løb, måske var det bare en hovedskraber. Han er en rigtig flot søn af Into Mischief, og vi ved, at han er bedre end det, vi så i hans sidste start."

Indlægsposition: 7

Odds: 15-1

Træner: Brad Cox

Jockey: Florent Geroux

Ejer: Juddmonte

Karriererekord: 5-3-0-1

Karriereindtjening: 361.252 $

Derby-kvalifikationspoint: 52 (10.)

Top Equibase-hastighedstal: 97

Stamtavle: Into Mischief-Brooch, af Empire Maker

Farve: Bugt

Løbestil: Frontløber

Bemærkninger: Mandaloun har fået sit navn for en type vinduer med sprosser (eller dekorative skillevægge) fra traditionel libanesisk arkitektur … dam Brooch var en dobbelt vinder af gruppeindsatser, inklusive 2015 Ridgewood Pearl S. (G2) på The Curragh … den afdøde prins Khalid Abdullah har været repræsenteret af fem tidligere Derby-startere (1995 Eltish, 6.; 2000 Aptitude, 2.; Empire Maker 2018, 2.; Hofburg, 7.; og 2019 Tacitus, 3.) … Brad Cox har endnu ikke haft en Derby-starter … Florent Geroux har kørt i Derbyet fire gange, var hans bedste afslutning nummer tre ombord på Gun Runner i 2016.

8 Kentucky Derby 2021 bedste valg:MEDINA SPIRIT

Er denne fyr Bob Bafferts bedste Derby-kandidat efter Concert Tours flop i Arkansas Derby? Det kunne være, og hvis han er det, så forvent ikke en rekordsyvende sejr i år.

Medina Spirit er ret godt, men ikke fantastisk. Han blev overskygget to gange af staldkammeraten Life Is Good - Derby-favoritten, indtil han blev skadet - inden han blev nummer to i Santa Anita Derby. Medina Spirit var 4 1/4 længder bag Rock Your World, hvis frontløbende glans i sin hovedbanedebut overbeviste mange mennesker om, at han kunne vinde ved Churchill Downs.

En af dem var Baffert.

"Jeg var meget imponeret over John Sadlers hest Rock Your World," sagde Baffert. "Han løb bare væk fra os, og han gik hurtigt, og han blev bare hurtigere og hurtigere. Han blev bare ved med at galoppere ud.”

Medina Spirit er et sejt hingsteføl, som i fem løb aldrig har været ude af det nøjagtige. Åringen på 1.000 USD har også allerede tjent mere end 180.000 USD over sin pris på 35.000 USD i et 2-årige-i-træningsudsalg.

Den 30. januar vandt han et foto med tre heste, hvor den fremtidige Louisiana Derby-vinder Hot Rod Charlie blev nummer tre. Hot Rod Charlies 110 Derby-kvalifikationspoint er kun nummer to efter ubesejrede Essential Quality (140), Derby-favoritten. Men Medina Spirit tabte sine sidste to løb med tilsammen 12 1/4 længder, og det er urealistisk at forvente en dramatisk vending i Louisville.

Indlægsposition:8

Ods: 15-1

Træner: Bob Baffert

Jockey: John Velazquez

Ejer: Zedan Racing Stables

Karriererekord: 5-2-3-0

Karriereindtjening: $315.200

Derbykvalifikationspoint: 74 (8.)

Bedste Equibase-hastighedstal: 109

Stamtavle: Protonico-Mongolian Changa, af Brilliant Speed

Farve: Mørk bugt

Løbestil: Frontløber/stalker

Bemærkninger: Medina, en by i Saudi-Arabien, er et vigtigt islamisk pilgrimsmål. Dens grønne kuppel rejser sig over profeten Muhammeds grav ... Du har sikkert aldrig hørt om Medina Spirits far, Protonico, en søn af den irske mester Giant's Causeway. Protonico vandt fire graderede indsatser og blev nummer to i 2014 Clark Handicap og 2016 Jockey Club Gold Cup … Ejer Amr F. Zedan er en saudisk forretningsmand, der mødte Baffert ved Dubai World Cup 2018. "Hvis det ikke var for Bob og den tillid, jeg har til ham, ville jeg ikke gøre dette" fortalte han thoroughbreddailynews.com ... Han købte sig ind i 2014 Derby-Preakness-helten California Chrome, ikke længe før han vandt Dubai World Cup 2016 . "Problemet er, at jeg først smagte sporten på toppen med California Chrome," sagde Zedan. "Jeg troede, det ville være normen." Han lærte hurtigt noget andet.

9 Kentucky Derby 2021 Odds:HOT ROD CHARLIE

Hot Rod Charlie kommer varmt til Kentucky, men denne gang vil han ikke flyve under radaren i USA's største løb, som han gjorde som 2-årig ved at køre nummer to efter Essential Quality i Breeders' Cup Juvenile på Keeneland med 94-1 odds.

"Han er sådan et talentfuldt hingsteføl. Han er et højt, rankt hingsteføl," sagde træner Doug O'Neill, der vandt Derbyet i 2012 med I'll Have Another og i 2016 med Nyquist. "Billedet ser ret klart og pænt ud for mig på dette tidspunkt. Men som vi alle ved i denne sport, er det en dag ad gangen. Jeg tror, ​​Hot Rod Charlie har en stor, stor chance. Vi tror, ​​vi bringer et supertalent hingsteføl til Churchill, og med lidt held vil vi være lige ved tråden."

O'Neill kender sin hest, som tog Louisiana Derby sidst. Men at stifte bekendtskab var ikke øjeblikkeligt med dette hingsteføl, som er halvbror til Mitole, mestersprinteren og firedobbelt G1-vinder. Hot Rod Charlie begyndte sin karriere i et par spurter, den ene på jord og den anden på græs, og blev på den tredje til sin tredje start. Han brød ikke sin jomfru før den 2. oktober, mens han strakte sig ud til 1-mile på hovedbanen. Den sejr drev ham ind i BC Juvenile.

O'Neill ved lidt om succesfuldt at køre en hest i Derbyet, som det fremgår af hans rekord på to sejre i seks starter.

Hot Rod Charlie, en søn af 2013 Preakness-vinderen Oxbow og et mors barnebarn af 1998 Derby tredjepladsen Indian Charlie, er en hyppig flyver og ideel rejsende, og det giver også sin træner selvtillid.

"Han er et rigtigt socialt hingsteføl. Han er et kæmpe aktiv for vores stald, og han har vist sin modenhed i shipping til steder som Kentucky allerede til Breeders' Cup og til Louisiana,'' sagde O'Neill.

Indlægsposition: 9

Odds: 8-1

Jockey: Flavien Prat

Træner: Doug O'Neill

Ejere: Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing &William Strauss

Karriererekord: 7-2-1-2

Karriereindtjening: 1.005.700 USD

Derby-kvalifikationspoint: 110 (2.)

Top Equibase-hastighedstal: 100

Stamtavle :Oxbow-Indian Miss af Indian Charlie

Farve: Mørk bugt

Løbestil :Alsidig

Bemærkninger: O'Neill havde tilbudt bjerget til Joel Rosario og ventede på rytterens beslutning, om han skulle holde sig til Bafferts Concert Tour. Rosario valgte Concert Tour, så O'Neill tilbød den til Flavien Prat, som var i gang med hingsteføllet. Da Concert Tour blev fjernet fra striden, holdt forbindelserne fast i Prat. "Både Joel og Flavien er ryttere i verdensklasse. Vi krøb sammen og sagde, at vi ville være i god form, uanset om vi har Joel eller Flavien," sagde O'Neill ... Prat (3 1-0-1) vandt 2019 Derby ombord på Country House, efter at Maximum Security var DQ'et ... Roadrunner Racing er et partnerskab ledet af Greg Helm, en tidligere reklamechef og nuværende vicepræsident for Desert Classic Charities. Patrick O'Neill er en 28-årig Brown-uddannet og vicepræsident for salg og strategiske partnerskaber hos Founder Sport Group. O'Neill udgør sammen med Brown University-brødre og fodboldholdkammerater Eric Armagost, Dan Giovaccini, Reiley Higgins og Alex Quoyeser Boat Racing. William Strauss var medstifter og administrerende direktør for Proflowers.com, en online blomsterbutik, og sidder i øjeblikket i bestyrelsen for Thoroughbred Owners of California ... Hot Rod Charlie arbejdede hos Santa Anita den 17. april og gik 6 furlongs på 1:14,20.

10 Kentucky Derby 2021-tilmeldinger:MIDNIGHT BOURBON

Midnight Bourbon kommer ind i løbet som "den anden Asmussen", men det kan vise sig at være uklogt at afvise dette hingsteføl til fordel for Arkansas Derby-vinderen og staldkammeraten Super Stock. Det kommer direkte fra Hall of Fame-træneren selv.

"Han er en hest, der gradvist har forbedret sig. Han startede året meget solidt. Jeg er en talperson, og hans tal bliver ved med at forbedres gradvist med perfekt timing. Han sidder på sit livs løb,” sagde Asmussen.

Midnight Bourbon trivedes på Fair Grounds hele vinteren og kørte på første, tredje og andenplads i banens tre-løbs-graderede indsatser og Kentucky Derby-kvalifikationsløbsserien for 3-årige mens den strækker sig fra 1 1/16 miles til 1 1/8 miles til 1 3/16 miles hver gang. Sidste gang i Louisiana Derby kørte han i stien bredere end vinderen Hot Rod Charlie rundt om begge sving og blev kun slået to længder.

Hvad man ved nu er, at Midnight Bourbon topper på det rigtige tidspunkt. Den 11. april affyrede han en kuglebrise i 5 furlongs på 1:00.40, og det var den hurtigste af 15 heste, der arbejdede den samme distance.

"Han er et absolut smukt eksemplar. Han har en høj marchhastighed i et løb, der åbenbart ser ud til at have meget tempo i sig. Jeg elsker, hvor han er i sit selvtillidsniveau lige nu,” sagde Asmussen.

Asmussen har vundet Preakness to gange, Belmont, Dubai World Cup og syv Breeders' Cups, men i 21 forsøg, de sjettefleste forsøg i historien, er Kentucky Derby unddraget sig ham.

Mange af de heste, han har ført over, har været ejet af mangeårige kunder, Winchell-familien. Startende med den afdøde patriark Verne Winchell og nu ejet og ledet af sønnen Ron Winchell, er familien 0-til-13 i løbet.

Indlægsposition: 10

Odds: 20-1

Jockey: Mike Smith

Træner: Steve Asmussen

Ejer: Winchell fuldblod

Karriererekord: 7-2-2-3

Karriereindtjening: 461.420 $

Derby-kvalifikationspoint: 66 (10.)

Top Equibase-hastighedstal: 99

Stamtavle: Tiznow-Catch the Moon af Malibu Moon

Farve: Bugt

Løbestil: På tempoet

Noter :Asmussen har to chancer for at vinde Derby i år og vil sadle Arkansas Derby-vinderen Super Stock for sine forældre, Marilyn og Keith, og ERV Woolsey…. Hall of Fame-rytteren Mike Smith har haft 26 Derby-mounts fra 1984-2020 med en rekord på 2-4-1. Af disse to sejre var den seneste ombord på den endelige Triple Crown-mester Justify i 2018, og den anden var, da han kørte 50-1 ombord på Giacomo i 2005 … Midnight Bourbon blev opdrættet i Kentucky af Stonestreet og bragte $525.000 som åring i Keeneland september-udsalget ... Winchells ejede hjemmeavlede Untapable, champion 3-årig hoppeføl og Breeders' Cup Distaff vinder, og Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile vinder Tapizar og Kentucky Oaks vinder Summerly. Alle blev trænet af Asmussen. De ejer også superfaren Tapit.

11 Kentucky Derby 2021 bidrag:DYNAMIC ONE

Hans far vandt Belmont, og hans morfar var far til to gange Horse of the Year Curlin, så ingen forventede, at denne $725.000-åring ville debutere på 5 furlongs. Todd Pletcher kørte ikke Dynamic One indtil midten af ​​november, på 7 furlongs, og han sluttede niende. He needed four starts to get his first victory, a 5 1/4-length runaway in March.

“The 1 1/8-mile maiden win, that’s what we needed to get to the Wood Memorial,” Pletcher said. “Going into the Wood, he was lightly regarded, but we thought he was coming in under the radar. He had been training much better than his past performances suggested.”

He went off at 15-1 in the Wood and ran to his workouts, leading at the eighth pole and losing by a head to stablemate Bourbonic, a 72-1 shot.

“Dynamic One, I think, is one that’s still sort of putting it all together,” Pletcher told horseracingnation.com. “He made the lead in the Wood and then got a little bit lost. But he’s another one that’s always shown a lot of promise in the morning.”

Many of Pletcher’s record 55 Derby starters were sprinter-milers for whom 10 furlongs was too far. Stamina is not a big concern with Dynamic One, Bourbonic, Florida Derby winner Known Agenda and Sainthood.

“The one thing I really like about this group is that they’re all bred to get a mile and a quarter,” Pletcher said. “A lot of times you come to the Derby hoping you can get the trip, but with these horses you get the feeling that they’ll handle the distance.”

Dynamic One is still eligible for a non-winners-of-1 allowance, and he’ll need a big forward move to contend with undefeated standouts Essential Quality and Rock Your World. If you like his chances, at least the odds will be very generous.

Indlægsposition: 11

Odds: 20-1

Træner: Todd Pletcher

Jockey :Jose Ortiz

Owners: Repole Stable, Phipps Stable, St. Elias Stable

Karriererekord: 5-1-2-0

Karriereindtjening: $194,120

Derby qualifying points: 40 (16th)

Best Equibase speed figure: 103

Stamtavle: Union Rags-Beat the Drums, by Smart Strike

Farve: Kastanje

Løbestil: Stalker/mid-pack rallier

Bemærkninger: Dynamic One’s owners are used to winning big races. Mike Repole and Pletcher took the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Classic with Vino Rosso. The Phipps Stable co-owned 2013 Derby hero Orb, and St. Elias Stable co-owned Pletcher’s 2017 Derby champion Always Dreaming … A month ago, Pletcher was hardly mentioned in the Derby conversation. Now he has four contenders in Louisville. “In March we felt we had a couple of chances,” he said, “but I didn’t see four happening. Like everybody at this time of year, you need to have your horses improving.” … Jose Ortiz was riding highly regarded Greatest Honour before that colt was sidelined because of bone bruises in his front ankles. The 2017 Eclipse Award winner never has won the Derby.

12 Kentucky Derby 2021 Entries:HELIUM

Mark Casse’s remarkable 42-year career has taken him to the American and Canadian Halls of Fame. Two years ago, he trained the winners of the Preakness (War of Will) and Belmont (Sir Winston). He’s had five Canadian Horses of the Year and won the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot. His runners have taken five Eclipse Awards and five Breeders’ Cup events.

If unbeaten Helium (3-for-3) wins the Kentucky Derby off a 56-day layoff, it will rank among those achievements.

Authentic scored last year following a 49-day hiatus, so maybe an extra week isn’t such a big deal. Authentic, however, had a much more impressive resume, and Bob Baffert already had won the Derby five times. Needles (1956) and Animal Kingdom (2011) won it off 42-day breaks.

Helium hadn’t run since Oct. 18 before taking the Tampa Bay Derby on March 6. That’s a 140-day rest, far longer than he’ll have May 1. Shortly after his 15-1 upset, Casse decided to train Helium up to Derby 147 because he thought the hard race after a long time off might have taken too much out of him.

Jon Green, general manager of D.J. Stable, said:“We’re going to go an unconventional route and bypass the rest of the Derby preps. It’s not unreasonable in history to give a horse eight weeks off and ask him to run in a big race like this.”

Problem areas:He’s raced only three times, never beyond 1 1/16 miles, and only once on dirt. He makes a quantum leap in class and never has beaten a top 3-year-old. Casse has a terrific track record, but this is a gigantic ask.

“He’s a beautiful horse,” Casse said. “He’s a perfect gentleman, does everything nice. Good mover, great attitude. He’s bred to run all day long and he looks like a Derby horse, so it’s exciting.”

Indlægsposition: 12

Odds: 50-1

Træner: Mark Casse

Jockey: Julien Leparoux

Owners: D.J. Stable

Karriererekord :3-3-0-0

Karriereindtjening: $287,763

Derby qualifying points: 50 (13th)

Best Equibase speed figure: 94

Stamtavle: Ironicus-Thundering Emilia, by Thunder Gulch

Color :Bay

Løbestil: Stalker

Bemærkninger: Helium’s sire, Ironicus, was a multiple-stakes winner on the turf. His damsire, Thunder Gulch, won the Derby and Belmont in 1995 … Julien Leparoux replaces Jose Ferrer, who rode an excellent race in the Tampa Bay Derby. Leparoux is 0-for-12 in the Derby, with his best finish a fourth on Casse’s Classic Empire in 2017. That was also Casse’s best result in eight attempts … Casse also will saddle Florida Derby runner-up Soup and Sandwich, to be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione.

13 Kentucky Derby 2021 Entries:HIDDEN STASH

His come-from-behind style should be helpful in a field loaded with early speed, but his final figures and closing numbers are weak. He did win last fall going 1 1/16 miles at Churchill Downs, but he’s never beaten a Derby contender. Hidden Stash has to make remarkable improvement to be in the Derby mix.

He’s 0-for-3 in graded stakes for Vicki Oliver and comes off a fourth-place finish, 10 lengths behind Essential Quality, in the Blue Grass. The pace was slow (48.21-second half-mile), so closers had little chance to make up ground.

His best race this year was a rough-trip second in the Tampa Bay Derby, where he missed by three-quarters of a length against undefeated Helium. It’s hard to gauge what that meant, because Helium hasn’t run since and is being trained up to the Derby.

Hidden Stash turned in a bullet half-mile workout at Keeneland on April 14, breezing in 47 4/5 seconds, with the final furlong in a zippy :11 1/5. Bloodhorse.com reported he caught two workmates at the wire after breaking eight lengths behind them. “I thought he worked really well,” said Oliver, who plans another work before shipping to Louisville on April 27.

If the pace collapses, Hidden Stash could pick up the pieces and slip into third or fourth. Can’t see him in the exacta, but if you want action at 50-1 or so, play him $2 across the board and hope. Two years ago, that approach produced a massive score with 65-1 shot Country House.

“We feel like having the right pace and an extra eighth of a mile, anything can happen in the Derby,” lead owner Brian Klatsky told drf.com.

Many times, it has.

Indlægsposition: 13

Odds: 50-1

Træner: Vicki Oliver

Jockey: Rafael Bejarano

Ejer :Bbn Racing

Karriererekord: 7-2-1-2

Karriereindtjening: $231,062

Derby qualifying points: 32 (17th)

Best Equibase speed figure: 94

Stamtavle: Constitution-Making Mark Money, by Smart Strike

Farve: Kastanje

Løbestil: Closer

Bemærkninger: Oliver is in an 0-for-43 slump in graded stakes. She would be the 17th woman to saddle a Derby starter and the first since 2015. She is married to trainer Philip Oliver … Bbn Racing stands for Big Blue Nation, the nickname for the University of Kentucky’s massive fan base. Klatsky’s partners are his longtime friends and business associates Brendan O’Brien and Braxton Lynch. Klatsky attended Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs. He was introduced to the sport as a child on trips with his father to Saratoga Racecourse.

14 Kentucky Derby 2021 Best Bet:ESSENTIAL QUALITY

Unlike some other highly rated 3-year-olds, this undefeated colt has stayed healthy and kept getting better. Life Is Good and Greatest Honour are sidelined with ankle problems, and Concert Tour’s reputation took a big hit in the Arkansas Derby.

Essential Quality improved his Equibase speed figure in each of his four races since he broke his maiden last September. Yet because no race is scrutinized and overanalyzed like the Kentucky Derby, many handicappers question whether he can repeat Justify’s 2018 feat of winning the Derby while unbeaten. Even though Essential Quality won a tough fight in the 1 1/8-mile Blue Grass Stakes, immediately doubts were expressed.

He showed courage by edging front-runner Highly Motivated by a neck. Essential Quality was bumped at the start and stalked fractions slow enough (48.21-second half-mile, 1:12.08 for 6 furlongs) that the leader should have been able to hang on. Yet the heavy favorite overcame adversity and edged away in the final yards to win by a neck.

Skeptics suggested that the race may have taken too much out of Essential Quality. They wondered whether not winning by daylight might mean the Derby’s 1 1/4 miles are too far. Yet sometimes a hard race toughens a horse and moves him forward. We’ll find out the answers May 1.

His elite trainer, Brad Cox, knows that having the Derby favorite is the “good kind of pressure.” He’s upbeat about his chances.

“He showed a lot of grit and determination and a will to win,” Cox said five days after the Blue Grass. “He’s got a lot of fight about him, and I was glad he was able to come out on the right end. And he came out of it in good order.”

Essential Quality has done everything right in five starts, displaying excellence and versatility — one front-running win, two by stalking, two coming from behind. His world-class sire, Tapit, never has produced a Derby winner. Essential Quality’s owner, Godolphin’s Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum, doesn’t have one after more than 20 years of trying. This could be the colt who ends those streaks.

“We got him to Churchill and everything’s going the right way,” Cox said. “We’re very happy with how he came out of the race, and on to the Derby.”

Indlægsposition: 14

Odds: 2-1

Træner: Brad Cox

Jockey: Luis Saez

Ejer: Godolphin

Karriererekord: 5-5-0

Karriereindtjening :$2,265,144

Derby qualifying points: 140 (1st)

Best Equibase speed figure :109

Stamtavle: Tapit-Delightful Quality, by Elusive Quality

Farve: Gray

Løbestil: Stalker

Bemærkninger: Worked 5 furlongs in 59.60 seconds at Churchill Downs on April 17, fourth fastest of 40 at the distance … Cox, last year’s Eclipse Award winner, grew up a few blocks from Churchill. His father took him there for the first time when he was “5 or 6.” He lives and breathes racing, acknowledging it’s a career requiring obsessive attention to achieve maximum results. He never has run a horse in the Derby … Saez, one of the country’s top riders, never has won it even though he finished first in 2019. After a 22-minute stewards’ inquiry, Maximum Security was disqualified for interference, the first on-track DQ in Derby history … Dubai-based Godolphin Racing is named for the Godolphin Arabian (1724-53), one of the three foundation sires of the modern thoroughbred.

15 Kentucky Derby 2021 Entries:ROCK YOUR WORLD

Rock Your World is an undefeated son of Candy Ride, who is owned by California powerhouse Hronis Racing in partnership with Talla Racing. He made his first main track start a winning one in the Santa Anita Derby after making his first two starts over the grass.

California-based runners have had the most recent success in the Kentucky Derby and six runners over the past decade (Authentic, Justify, Nyquist, American Pharoah, California Chrome and I’ll Have Another) all called Southern California tracks home before winning the Derby. Also, Exaggerator (2016), Firing Line (2015) and Bodemeister (2012) finished second after wintering in California, while Battle of Midway (2017) and Dortmund (2015) earned third place finishes under the Twin Spires after shipping into Louisville from the Golden State. Rock Your World will attempt to become the 20th horse to win the Santa Anita Derby and the Kentucky Derby.

Trainer John Sadler has only sent out four horses in the Derby, including two in 2010. His best finisher was Corby, who was sixth in 1993.

“I’ve never won the Derby, but last time I was there we won the Breeders’ Cup Classic (in 2018 with Accelerate), so I’m looking forward to going back to Louisville.”

Rock Your World last week represented what was probably the first dose of Derby drama this year after his connections decided to replace Santa Anita Derby-winning jockey Umberto Rispoli with Joel Rosario, who has won hundreds of races for Sadler. Rosario was aboard Accelerate for Sadler’s first Breeders’ Cup victory (2018 Classic) and a number of other top runners, including Gift Box, Catalina Cruiser, Combatant, Flagstaff, Twirling Candy, Switch, Sidney’s Candy and many more.

Rosario has ridden in the Kentucky Derby nine times and won aboard Orb in 2013.

Post position: 15

Odds: 5-1

Trainer: John Sadler

Jockey: Joel Rosario

Owner: Hronis Racing (Pete and Kosta Hronis) and Talla Racing (Michael Talla)

Career record: 3-3-0-0

Karriereindtjening :$546,600

Derby qualifying points :100 (6th)

Top Equibase-hastighedstal: 103

Stamtavle: Candy Ride-Charm the Marker, by Empire Maker

Color :Dark bay

Running style:Front-runner

Bemærkninger: This colt comes from a long line of horses bred and/or owned by Hall of Fame conditioner Ron McAnally and his wife, Debbie. His dam, Charm the Maker, was a stakes winner and multiple graded stakes placed. His granddam and great granddam were also graded stakes winners and owned and bred by the McAnallys … Colt will be a first Derby starter for the partnership of owners Hronis Racing and Talla Racing … Rock Your World was a $650,000 Keeneland September yearling in 2019, with Sapphire Stable signing the sales slip, the moniker representing a partnership of bloodstock agent David Ingordo and Sadler.

16 Kentucky Derby 2021 Entries:KING FURY

After King Fury rallied to win the Lexington in the slop, trainer Ken McPeek said he thought he could get 1 1/4 miles but probably wouldn’t get into the Derby. A slew of defections put his 20 qualifying points at No. 18 on the list, so he’s in.

Positives:He’s 2-for-3 at Churchill Downs, with both wins around two turns, and he has a stayer’s pedigree.

Negatives:He’s never run farther than 1 1/16 miles and starting in 1950 every Derby winner has had at least one race at 1 1/8 miles. His speed figures also are weak.

McPeek never has shied from going against the grain. Last year he won the Preakness with Swiss Skydiver, only the sixth filly to do that. His other Triple Crown win was the ultimate shocker, Sarava’s 70-1 upset in the 2002 Belmont. That was the final win in his injury-plagued, 3-for-17 career.

I can’t envision King Fury winning the Derby, but if the pace falls apart and he has some racing luck, he might slip into the bottom of the superfecta.

Indlægsposition: 16

Odds: 20-1

Træner: Ken McPeek

Jockey: Brian Hernandez, Jr.

Owners: Fern Circle Stables, Three Chimneys Farm

Karriererekord: 6-3-0-0

Karriereindtjening: $262,739

Derby qualifying points: 20 (18th)

Best Equibase speed figure: 103

Stamtavle: Curlin-Taris, by Flatter

Farve: Kastanje

Løbestil: Closer

Bemærkninger: McPeek, 62, grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, where he and former trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, 60, knew each other. Their colts Golden Ticket (McPeek) and Alpha dead-heated for the win in the 2012 Travers. McLaughlin retired in March 2020 to become the agent for Luis Saez, the rider of undefeated Derby favorite Essential Quality … Brian Hernandez, Jr., the 2004 Eclipse-winning apprentice, won the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic on Fort Larned. He is winless in the Derby, Preakness and Belmont.

17 Kentucky Derby 2021 Entries:HIGHLY MOTIVATED

Chad Brown is a numbers guy and heading into the Kentucky Derby the math is adding up in the column of Highly Motivated .

The four-time Eclipse Award winning trainer (2013-2016) said of the Klaravich Stables homebred, “His numbers are good. I’ve always followed the numbers of my horses as they’ve developed in their careers. I try to stack them against the field. He’s definitely one of the faster horses, and in the top handful of horses in the field on his figures. It’s a good feeling.”

Highly Motivated, who gave Derby favorite Essential Quality a run for his money in the Blue Grass last out, was trying two turns for the first time that day. While he passed the two-turn test at 1 1/8 miles, the Derby distance remains a question.

Highly Motivated is by super sire Into Mischief, who fathered 2020 Derby and BC Classic winner Authentic. His dam is Strong Incentive, who won one stake at 7 furlongs, and she is by Warrior’s Reward, who excelled in graded stakes sprints.

“He came out of it (the Blue Grass) well and he’s had one work since and he worked super,” said Brown, referring to the colt’s April 18 bullet at Keeneland when he went 4 furlongs in 47.20. “I think this horse is really going to move forward off that race.

Klaravich Stables owner Seth Klarman had two charges earn enough points to be in the starting gate, but Brown opted to only run this one and point Crowded Trade to the Preakness.

Brown is looking for his first Derby win. He came close when Good Magic was second in 2018.

Indlægsposition: 17

Odds: 10-1

Jockey: Javier Castellano

Træner: Chad Brown

Ejer: Klaravich Stables

Karriererekord: 5-2-2-1

Karriereindtjening: $320,050

Derby qualifying points: 50 (12th)

Top Equibase-hastighedstal: 108

Stamtavle: Into Mischief-Strong Incentive by Warrior’s Reward

Farve: Bay

Løbestil: Fron-trunner/Just off the lead

Bemærkninger: Hall of Famer Castellano has not won the Derby in 14 tries (0-0-1), though he did win the Preakness for these connections on Cloud Computing … Klarman and Brown have enjoyed phenomenal success together, winning the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf in 2018 with Newspaperofrecord and five Grade 1s with 2019 BC Turf victor and Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar. That one was co-owned with William Lawrence … Brown will saddle the undefeated Search Results for Klarman in the Kentucky Oaks. The owner and trainer have not yet won that race either … Klarman, a billionaire investor and hedge fund manager from Boston, names his horses with financial terms or for Boston landmarks like Yawkey Way and Fenway Park … Brown has been the leading trainer on the New York circuit for six straight years and won his latest title at the recently concluded Aqueduct meet.

18 Kentucky Derby 2021 Entries:SUPER STOCK

There is a bull market for Super Stock these days after the colt with deep Asmussen family roots saw his stock skyrocket when he was the 12-1 upset winner of the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park on April 10.

The victory was his first of the year and his first top level score, and when he grabbed the 100 points in his last chance to qualify for the Kentucky Derby, he vaulted from 31st to third on the leaderboard with 109 points.

In the winner’s circle, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen said the experience isn’t just a family affair, it’s a story made for Hollywood. He wasn’t kidding.

Super Stock, a $70,000 yearling, is owned by his father, Keith Asmussen, and Keith’s best friend, Nashville icon Erv Woolsey, who is the manager of George Strait, Lee Ann Womack, and other country music stars.

Steve’s son Keith J. Asmussen, named for his grandfather, was in his first year as an apprentice jockey last year while his University of Texas-Austin classes were moved online and was aboard Super Stock when they won the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity at Lone Star for the colt’s only other win and Keith J’s only stakes win and fourth overall.

Asmussen has trained three Horses of the Year in Curlin (a 2-time winner), Rachel Alexandra, and Gun Runner and won the Preakness twice, the Belmont, the Dubai World Cup, and seven Breeders’ Cups but has never won a Kentucky Derby in 21 tries, the sixth most attempts in history. The two-time Eclipse Award winner has long maintained it would be a dream come true to take a horse to the Derby for his parents, and now he has the chance to wrap it up in a bow for the Hollywood ending.

“You think about the scenario of winning a race of that caliber (Arkansas Derby) for your parents, and the story with the horse, and then it happens,” he said. “I’m experiencing all of the emotions afterward.’’

Indlægsposition: 18

Odds: 30-1

Jockey: Ricardo Santana, Jr.

Træner: Steve Asmussen

Owners: Erv Woolsey, Keith Asmussen

Karriererekord: 8-2-2-2

Karriereindtjening: $804,762

Derby qualifying points: 109 (3rd)

Top Equibase-hastighedstal: 106

Stamtavle: Dialed In-Super Girlie, by Closing Argument

Color :Bay

Løbestil: Off the pace

Bemærkninger: Asmussen has two chances to win the Derby this year and will saddle Midnight Bourbon, a very solid second in the Louisiana Derby for longtime clients Winchell Thoroughbreds. The Winchells have come up empty in 11 previous tries … Super Stock, a classic late bloomer, got a dream trip in the Arkansas Derby when the expected speed duel between the previously undefeated Concert Tour and Caddo River developed and he was in the garden spot to overtake his exhausted rivals … Keith J Asmussen didn’t ask his dad or his granddad if he could get the mount back for the Arkansas Derby or the Kentucky Derby. He’s back at UT, which had shut down the campus due to COVID-19, now that in-person classes are in session again … Santana is 0-for-6 in the Derby … Super Stock is bred to get the distance. His maternal grandsire is Closing Argument, second to Giacomo in the Derby and on his paternal side descends from 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew.

19 Kentucky Derby 2021 Entries:SOUP AND SANDWICH

Lightly raced Soup and Sandwich went into the Florida Derby undefeated in two starts. Although he lost for the first time, he did so with a solid performance — 2 ¾ lengths behind Known Agenda at odds of 12-1 after a strong effort on the front dueling for the early lead.

The gray son of Into Mischief got a later start than most of his fellow Derby hopefuls and didn’t debut until the end of January at Gulfstream Park, but debut he did by posting an eye-popping 7 ¼-length score in a 6 ½-furlong maiden special weight test against fellow Florida breds.

A month later, trainer Mark Casse shipped the colt to Tampa Bay Downs where he again impressed by an open-length victory, winning a 1-mile, 40-yard allowance by 2 ¾ lengths. Though he defeated just two rivals in his second start, it was an impressive win.

Soup and Sandwich had spent the winter with Casse’s Palm Meadows string but has been training at Churchill Downs for the past couple weeks and the colt breezed twice now under the Twin Spires, the most recent on April 17 in his second-to-last pre-Derby workout. With jockey Tyler Gaffalione aboard, the colt posted 5 furlongs in 59.80 after logging early splits of 12.40, 24.20 and 35.20 for three-eighths. He galloped out 6 furlongs in 1:12.40, 7 furlongs in 1:25.20 and a mile in 1:41.60. He went in company with stablemate Colonel Bowman, who earned a final 6-furlong time of 1:11.80.

“This horse is just starting to figure things around the racetrack,” Casse’s assistant, David Carroll, said. “Tyler was in cruise control around there and that gallop out was great.”

Indlægsposition: 19

Odds: 30-1

Træner: Mark Casse

Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione

Ejer: Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Plantation

Karriererekord: 3-2-1-0

Karriereindtjening: $203,875

Derby qualifying points 40 (15th)

Top Equibase speed figure :108

Stamtavle: Into Mischief-Souper Scoop, by Tapit

Farve: Gray

Løbestil: Stalker

Bemærkninger: Soup and Sandwich comes by his name quite honestly as owner Weber is the heir to the Campbell’s Soup company … Colt is a grandson of Grade 3 winner Scoop, who Weber purchased for $2.1 million at Keeneland in 2005 in foal to El Prado and who she sold for just $80,000 through the same ring nine years later, three years after she produced this colt’s winning dam, who Weber kept in her breeding program … A son of Into Mischief, who is currently sitting second on the general sires list through the end of March after taking top honors in 2019 and 2020 … Into Mischief is also the sire of last year’s Derby-BC Classic winner Authentic and 2018 Florida Derby winner Audible, who was third in the Derby, among dozens of other stakes winners … Weber’s Live Oak Plantation has been represented by four previous Derby starters —Win Win Win (2019), Brilliant Speed (2011), High Fly (2005) and Laser Light (1982) … Laser Light is the only one to have hit the board, finishing second behind Gato Del Sol in 1982 … Casse has sent out eight runners without hitting the board … Gaffalione is looking for his first Derby win with his fourth starter.

20 Kentucky Derby 2021 Entries:BOURBONIC

Todd Pletcher has built a historic career with horses that can set or track the pace. Bourbonic , the 72-1 hero of this year’s Wood Memorial, is an outlier.

“He doesn’t have any early speed,” Pletcher said. “We always knew this horse would handle added distance. He was able to get a perfect trip, sit back and make one run. It was a big effort.”

Hot rider Kendrick Carmouche fit Bourbonic perfectly on April 3 over Aqueduct’s deep, tiring track. They made the last move to get up by a head over 15-1 stablemate Dynamic One after a slow 1 1/8 miles (1:54.49).

“Todd asked me what I was going to do, and I told him I wouldn’t move,” Carmouche said. “I was just going to sit, sit, sit, sit and hopefully get the last quarter of a mile. I knew he would go on from there.”

Unlike many in the prospective Derby field, Bourbonic has the pedigree to handle 1 1/4 miles. His sire, Bernardini, won the 2006 Preakness, and his damsire, Afleet Alex, would have swept the 2005 Triple Crown if not for a brutal trip in the Derby.

Bourbonic was sixth and 11th in his first two starts last year but has three wins and a second in his next four, all at a mile or longer. The Wood transformed him from a nobody to a Derby dark horse.

“Sometimes the worst thing you can have is a hot hand in January and February,” said Pletcher, who went from empty-handed to having four of the top 20 in the Derby qualifying points standings. “We were hoping things would come together, and we always thought Bourbonic had the potential to step up.”

The last deep closer to take the Derby was Orb in 2013. Since that rainy day, no winner has been farther back than third at any point in the race. Maybe we’re due to see a horse finish first after being far back.

“There’s a lot of speed this year for the Derby,” six-time winner Bob Baffert said. “It’s still wide open. This could be one of those Giacomo years. You never know.”

Baffert was referencing the 50-1 shot who came from 18th at the first call to get up by a head with a wide rally. That’s how Bourbonic pulled his shocker in the Wood. If the fractions are hot and contested, maybe he can do it again May 1. Difficult, but not impossible.

Indlægsposition :20

Odds: 30-1

Træner: Todd Pletcher

Jockey: Kendrick Carmouche

Ejer: Calumet Farm

Karriererekord: 6-3-1-0

Karriereindtjening: $465,880

Derby qualifying points: 100 (7th)

Best Equibase speed figure: 100

Pedigree :Bernardini-Dancing Afleet, by Afleet Alex

Farve: Dark bay

Løbestil :Closer

Bemærkninger: Carmouche, a 37-year-old native of Louisiana, is one of the country’s hottest riders. He earned his first Grade 1 win last fall in the Cigar Mile on the way to leading the Aqueduct meeting, his first title on the New York Racing Association circuit … He’s a bright, articulate guy who moved from Parx to New York in 2015. He could become the first African-American jockey to win the Derby since Jimmy Winkfield in 1902 … Pletcher has trained a record 55 Derby starters, winning with Super Saver (2010) and Always Dreaming (2017) … Calumet Farm has campaigned eight Derby winners. Brad Kelley has owned it since 2012. Oxbow’s Preakness victory the next year was Calumet’s first in a classic since 1968.

Kentucky Derby 2021 Odds: